Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
This invention relates primarily to document and note holders, and, in particular to a document or note holder which can be mounted to a surface, such as a desk, cabinet, computer monitor, telephone, etc. to hold a document or note in any desired orientation.
Document holders are commonly used in offices to support papers, memos, notes, and other documents in a manner in which a typist can fairly easily view the document. Often, document holders are mounted to the side of a computer monitor. Such document holders typically include a back surface with a bottom ledge, and the sheet of paper sits on the bottom ledge and rests against the back surface. The paper is held in place, for example, using clips at the top of the back surface or an arm or bar which extends across the page.
Other document holders have been provided which can simply be placed on a desk (or counter) top to hold a note, memo, or other document. One such document holder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,116. This document holder is in the form of a ruler having a slot in the top, which receives papers. The slot is closed on its sides, and hence, the holder is limited to receiving papers having a width slightly less than the length of the slot. Alternating blades in the slot form corrugations in the paper to hold the paper upright.
Briefly stated, a document holder is provided which can be mounted to either a vertical or horizontal surface so that the document holder will project vertically upwardly or downwardly or horizontally, as the user chooses to frictionally hold one or more sheets of paper from the top, bottom, or sides. The document holder includes a base and front and back walls extending from the base. The front and back walls each have inner and outer surfaces and are spaced apart to define a slot between the front and back walls. Projections extend from the inner surface of the two walls. Preferably, there are at least three projections: one inner projection extending from the inner surface of one of the walls and two outer projections extending from the inner surface of the other of the walls. The projections are arranged in an alternating pattern. Additionally, the projections are sized and spaced such that, when paper is inserted in the holder, the inner projection will push the paper against the outer projections, and the outer projections will push the paper against the inner projections such that the paper will be frictionally engaged by the edges of the inner and outer projections. Further, the inner surfaces of at least the inner projection or the outer projections are sloped, such that the distance between the sloped projections and the opposing wall varies along the height of the sloped projections. These surfaces define friction-inducing edges, which engage paper, which is inserted in the document holder to frictionally grip the paper. The friction grip is sufficiently strong to prevent the sheet(s) of paper from sliding through, or rotating out of, the document holder under the weight of the paper, even if the holder is completely inverted with the paper projecting downwardly from the slot. To help ensure that the paper remains generally flat or planer when held by the document holder, the document holder includes channels at opposite edges which open into the slot. The channels are co-linear or in the same plane with each other. The channels can be formed, for example, by extensions projecting outwardly from sidewalls of the holder.